Newspaper says Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) shouldn't have vetoed bill that would have created an exception to keep some Indian mascots:

After toying with it a while, Gov. John Kitzhaber finally pulled the plug on Senate Bill 215, the bill that would have allowed school districts to keep team names and logos with Native American themes, despite a state ban, as long as local tribes gave permission.

After weeks of saying he planned to veto the bill, Kitzhaber finally did so on Friday.

Kitzhaber could have allowed the bill to become law without his signature, and we still think that would have been the best option for the governor.

At issue is a rule approved last year by the state Board of Education that prohibits Oregon public schools from using American Indian names, symbols or images as school mascots. Offending schools run the risk of losing state funding.